Jamming the pedal to the metal, the $22-billion-a-year U.S. motorsports business has expanded in strikingly fast-track fashion. And now state and local recruiters have joined in the race, maneuvering to attract and retain major racing-sector operations — and the big clusters created in their wake.
Seven-time NASCAR Sprint Cup Champion Richard Petty, arguably the most famous American automobile racer of all time, has a simple “When did they have the first automobile race?” asked Petty. “Just as soon as they built the second car.”
That’s not literally true, but it’s close. Auto racing in America dates back to 1895. It grew with the domestic automobile industry in the early 1900s, before exploding in popularity after World War II. In the process, different parts of the country became home to different racing segments: On the West Coast, for example, drag racing down the quarter-mile became all the rage, while in the Midwest… Details
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The Panoz marque aims to return to the top flight of sports-car racing with a new front-engined LMP1 coupe.
American Le Mans Series founder Don Panoz, whose cars were regular winners in the ALMS against the might of BMW and Audi in 1999-2000, revealed that his company is “investigating concepts†that could result in a comeback to the LMP1 prototype category after an absence of six seasons. It is understood that the studies have resulted in the decision to build a Chevrolet-engined prototype.
Asked whether the car would have its engine in the front, in line with his previous prototypes, Panoz said: …Â Details
As Scott Dixon rolled slowly onto pit road in his new Acura prototype, there was bedlam in his team’s pit stall.
Team owner and co-driver Gil de Ferran was hugging anybody standing near enough, Honda officials were doing high-fives and Nick Wirth, the designer of the all-new Acura ARX 02a sports car, crouched behind the pit wall covering tear-filled eyes with his hands.
“The radio was dead silent all the way until I came in,†said reigning IndyCar Series champion Dixon. “So I suspected we’d been passed and lost the pole anyway. To come in and see them … Details
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Tires made partially from orange peels and motor oil made from animal fat are part of the green future for sports car racing in America.
On Thursday at Sebring International Raceway, Yokohama tires introduced its ADVAN ENV-R tires, which combine orange oil made from discarded peels with natural rubber to form a new compound called Super Nano-Power Rubber. The tires will be used on Porsche 911 race cars in the Patron GT32 Challenge, a series sanctioned by the International Motor Sports Association….. Details